Straight On Through the Night
by reallyfeeling
Summary: Neverland: Second star to the right and straight on till morning. Even through a portal, it's the farthest world to reach. So you just gotta sit back through the night until you see that golden horizon. But for Hook and his new passengers, it's not a simple journey. That and he offers Emma a promise for another adventure.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

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Chapter One

Everyone was screaming. Even when Hook's ship broke out through the other end of the portal with a jolt, the screaming didn't end until after a minute of smooth coasting and the delayed realization that they were all safe. Hook calmly stood on deck and turned the Jolly Roger's wheel a notch or two, straightening her out, and arched a brow at his passengers.

"Are you done? That wasn't the worst portal we've ever been through," he said, patting his ship like a horse. "Though Neverland was never easy."

Emma let go of her death-grip on the rope, but her face still froze in fear...and awe. They weren't sailing on water. They weren't sailing on anything. She didn't dare peek over the edge. All around was a vast sea of open darkness and twinkling stars. They blinked as a way of greeting them to the other side. It was practically silent except for the creaks and knocks from the ship.

"Where the hell are we?" she asked. "Is this Neverland?"

Hook scoffed. "If only, lass. No, there are many dangers in Neverland, not just the sparkle and fairy dust you might believe. Collectively they've set a border around Neverland, making the only way in by means of flying. One can only hope your boy's portal landed closer. We still must aim at the correct star and journey through the night."

"How do you know you're aiming at the right star?" David asked, still holding Mary Margaret with one arm.

"It's the left star and I'm Captain Hook, mate. I know Neverland." Hook smiled proudly. The circumstances that gained him his moniker were tragic and he relived the events in his head every night, but there was never a new moment were he wasn't pleased of the name he made for himself. He was a well-known pirate. He was a captain, king of the seas. "So unless you know how to man the ropes, I suggest you make yourself comfy. Preferably out of my sights and my sanity. We've a long night ahead of us."

Regina is the first to sigh.

"My arms are sore from trying to hold off the fail safe."

Regina looks at Emma, who nods in a way of acknowledging their teamwork, but Emma wasn't feeling as sore as Regina. She was still new to this whole magic thing and she didn't want everyone to know about what she could do or that she was doing it. She didn't want to become Mr. Gold's next apprentice. She saw where that got Regina and Cora.

"Any funny business, Hook," Regina continued, "sailing off course or something stupid, and I will destroy you and take over your precious ship."

Hook merely sneered in reply and watched Regina head down below deck to the sleeping quarters. The crocodile followed her, eying him as he passed by. The Charmings followed suit, but Mary Margaret stopped and looked at her daughter.

"Emma?" She was staring off at the deep space and then snapped back with it when she heard her name. "You must be exhausted after today and you will need to rest up."

"I'm actually really awake," Emma replied, surprised at the truth in her voice. Her brain was telling her to sleep, that it was important to, but she was still buzzed about losing Henry. "I just keep thinking about Henry."

Mary Margaret looked at David and then nodded. She moved forward slightly, wanting to comfort her daughter, but David tugged at her hand. They knew they couldn't be there for her always. They couldn't tuck her in at night and check for monsters under her bed. They missed that phase. It pained them that they missed that and it was still a struggle for Mary Margaret to decide when to be the best friend, the mother, or the mother accepting that her daughter is a responsible adult who could stay awake and had her own anxieties to work out.

Mary Margaret gave Emma warning eyes, quickly glancing at Hook. Emma gave a reassuring smile back to her mother and then shook her head to herself as her parents ducked away. Hook has done some stupid things, but she somehow didn't worry about him. Apparently her parents still did.

Hook glanced at her and she seemed lost in gazing at the foreign universe. It was a perfect opportunity to crack a joke or say something cocky, but he just left her to her thoughts. He kept a steady eye ahead of him, keeping the Jolly Roger on a straight course. There was a pang of excitement in him to hear the waves of the Neverland sea. You never forget your first time, journeying into this strange land of lost boys and mermaids and fairies. He spent far too many years in Neverland, distracted by far too many annoyances from those meddling young boys, was set off course by far too many side adventures. And Peter Pan...if he didn't have to see that shadow of a fool, he would be so lucky. But it was still a beautiful place. It was a home if he ever had one.

He chuckled to himself. What a strange family that was aboard his ship. What a strange fate that everyone was so connected and that it would lead them here. It was even more strange to him that just the thought of Baelfire, whom he almost accepted as a son, convinced him to turn around. Emma convinced him, too. She was right - they understood each other. She was light-years ahead of him in progress, but she saw a chance in him. And so it was strange that the two reasons that turned his boat around, the two of them were in love.

"You changed," Emma said, breaking the silence. It was almost a whisper, like she didn't twang to disturb his thoughts. "Why?"

Hook squared back his shoulders. "Haven't really changed, love. I just I enjoy living better than dying and you lot are far better company."

"Right," Emma replied flatly. She didn't believe him. "But you changed your mind from going off and being alone to coming back and helping us. Now we're on your ship, including your greatest enemy."

"Yes, well," Hook clears his throat, "I've lived for hundreds of years, but I'm still a man in his thirties. Time does not exist in Neverland and even in the Enchanted Forest with Cora time was nothing, but I get out to your Storybrooke where everything is suddenly moving forward. It's an infectious notion."

Emma smelled a bullshit answer, but she didn't press it. "So how do you know Neal?"

Hook laughed. "You don't ease into the big ones, do you? I've got another big one you can ease-"

"Save it." Emma's voice was hard but noticeably exhausted. She was tired, but too stubborn to sleep.

"He fell into Neverland one day as a young chap, I saved him, he didn't want to join my crew," Hook exclaimed as if it were nothing. "What happened to him afterward never concerned me."

Emma leaned against the side of the ship. "I'm still a little shady about the middle part, too."

With all the time Neal had spent with Henry and in Storybrooke and even their ship ride back from New York, not once was she able to completely sit down with Neal and get a full explanation. She had Henry's book, but every time she opened it she just wanted to learn about her parents and their epic, iconic love story. A love story it turns out was so much bigger than what was in the Disney movie. A story so much more badass.

"Ah, so he's your one true love then? And you didn't even know his true identity."

"First love," Emma replied quickly. "Last love? I don't know. We were kids and I wouldn't have believed him anyway."

"It must be so bizarre living in a world unaware of other worlds. I grew up sailing everywhere with my father." Hook shook his head, suddenly uncomfortable talking about his past with anyone. The last time he did that was with Bae. "How did he die?"

"Tamara shot him in the side and he fell through a portal."

Hook raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"Were you expecting a dragon?"

Hook laughed shortly. "Not in the least. It's just, in my short experience in your world, guns don't always kill and portals don't always mean lost forever."

Emma fell silent. Hook shot Belle, but Gold used magic to heal her. But Neal was shot on the side of his stomach. He could bleed to death, but at least it didn't seem to be near any vital organs. If he landed somewhere with magic or some magical world of doctors, he could be found and saved. It was a long shot based on hope.

But she didn't have time to look for him, if he was alive out there somewhere. She could ask Gold to search for him on his magical tracking device-type globe thing, but he could think she was crazy. He was ready to just accept defeat for letting Neal come back, be ignored, and then die. It was unlike him. He's the Dark One. Emma couldn't believe he didn't think of it to begin with.

"Perhaps Baelfire never wanted to be reunited with his father, but Tamara just became worst fiancé of the year, a true heartbreak, indeed. You never wish to be bound in marriage with someone unless you love her with every inch of your heart - trust me, I know," Hook continued, interrupting Emma's thoughts. "Especially as someone who has never wished to be bound to anything. So that's got to be a wretched heartbreak. But just because there's a few he may not wish to see ever again, I'm sure he would want to see you and your lad safe."

"Are you offering to help find Neal, too?" Emma asks and she can see the ends of his lips curl up. She takes a step closer to the wheel, walking around to see Hook's face clearer in the starlight. "You're full of surprises today, Hook. You really have changed."

"I hope not too much," Hook replies with a laugh. "I may be a proper bastard, but I'm a handsome bastard who believes in true love."

She smiles at him, briefly, before returning to a frown. She can't help but stare at this handsome bastard as the words "true love" try to settle in her. True love was what her parents have. True love is what was in Henry's storybook. True love was what gave her magic. But the way Emma grew up, in reality, true love was hardly real and it only happened for the luckiest people. And it almost never happens once or on the first try. Emma was a girl of two worlds; one she knew and shaped her cynicism, and the one she didn't know at all where love was magic. And it had taken her a long time for her to believe in magic.

Hook yawned.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me, Miss Swan, or will you take the wheel for a moment so I may rest?"

Emma looked at him incredulously. Now Hook was really surprising her. "You want me to handle your ship?"

"It sounds dirtier when you say it," Hook replied, leaning towards her with a half smile. She replied with the same "are you serious" look when he told her that he was always a gentleman. He always was, though. "No doubt you've commandeered a vessel before. I assure you it's not hard. Would you fancy a hat if it gave you confidence?"

Before she could say anything, he swung around towards a wooden bench and opened the seat like a chest. In it revealed a paddle and ropes, a life-preserver, and a ridiculous red feathered hat that curled up at the sides. He spun again and placed it on Emma's head and then leaned into her, a dark and serious expression on his face.

"I must warn you of the dangers before us. The starry sky will eventually end and the pink hues of the morning will clear, but landing on the sea is a bumpy maneuver and there within lies monsters as vicious and welcoming as the three-headed guard dog at the doors of Hades. Mermaids will tempt you in and drown you in the depths of their lagoons. Fairies will lure you into the gift of flying and then take it from you as you reach the highest heights. And shadows will force you into doing its bidding and then fill your heart with the saddest of memories or the things you most long for at night, you wont be able to sleep until you die. So, Acting Captain Swan, I must ask you, are you prepared for the infamous Neverland?"

The hat flopped on her head and she felt silly, but she also felt...right. She felt terrified and anxious, but she felt right. For once her smile matched Hook's and she took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

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**Author's Note: I'm not used to writing fanfic, but this summer hiatus is killing me and I need this show back in my life. So I needed something else to pass the time. I hope you all are surviving the summer hiatus, too! And thank you for reading! Chapter Two should be up shortly. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"So when is morning?"

Hook rubbed his tired eyes and stared out his cabin's door as David walked right in. Uninvited. He sighed and looked up to the sky, questioning himself again why he took on all these passengers, and let the gentle breeze awaken him.

"WHEN is morning?" David asked again.

"Is that a serious question, mate?"

Hook closed the door and turned around just in time to dodge David's fist. If the breeze didn't wake him up, that certainly did. David slammed Hook against the door.

"We must have been asleep for a good five hours and I come up to find we're still soaring through the sky with Emma at the wheel."

"She's still out there? What a tough lass."

"If she left, the ship could veer off course! Of course she wouldn't leave!"

"Well, you know your own daughter," Hook said, not completely certain the prince knew his own daughter. He sat back down on his bed. His comfortable bed. For a second his body waved around as the thought of lying back down lured him in like a siren's song. Sleep was nice, even for a pirate. But he forced himself to grab his boot. "No worries. I'll be back at the wheel momentarily and she can get all the beauty sleep she desires."

"You didn't answer my question," David replied, stepping on Hook's other boot. Hook looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "When. Is Morning?"

Hook stands up, unafraid of entering David's personal space. "It's when the sun comes up."

"Don't play smart, pirate." David stands his ground. "We came through the portal right in the middle of the night. It's been several hours. You'd think we'd see some change in the sky, some light, some ocean or land, something!"

"Yeah, you would think that, mate," Hook sneers. "Luckily you've got me to inform you, nights are quite long here. The longer for your thoughts to crowd you, nag at you, make you cry and long for what you're missing. As I said, you should make yourself comfy...and while you're at it, step off my boot."

"You're really reassuring me on my grandson's well-being," David said, stepping off the boot. He had an unquenchable distrust in Hook and couldn't help but think he was over-exaggerating. Not that the Enchanted Forest was the perfect fairy tale land that the books make it out to be, but how awful could Neverland really be? And were the nights really that long and torturous?

Hook chuckled as he strapped his other boot on and grabbed his coat. "I wish no harm on the boy, at least for Emma's sake. But to deny the horrors he'll be put up against would be telling a great lie I wish not to tell. You will need to prepare for it, too. I suggest you do that while sleeping. Or doing anything that's not near me."

He pushed past David, knocking his shoulder, opened the door slightly before David pushed it close again. Hook heaved a sigh.

"I can't relieve your daughter," he says with a crooked smile, "if you wish to keep talking about the phenomenon of the sun not rising."

"Emma told me you think Neal is still alive," David said. "Do you?"

"Perhaps."

"And you want to help find him?"

"If we survive this bit, sure."

"Why are you helping us?"

Hook paused. For some reason this question was easier with Emma. It was easy to give an offhand (an off-hook?) remark about believing in true love or wanting to move forward and it didn't matter if she believed him or not because she was awful at trusting people and she knew he knew that. And whether they were, in fact, the truth – Hook was not yet willing to reveal. But perhaps she wanted him to move on, too. He could see that back in Granny's Diner. With David, he could probably not give two goat shits about any of that. Maybe he didn't even seek a reason as long as he got the kid back. Hook wanted to think they had that in common, personal gain over concern for anyone else that wasn't his own people. There had to be some tiny devil pirate deep inside Prince Charming.

Hook grinned at this thought.

"Tell you what, mate," Hook said finally. "Let's skip that part and you just trust me. Maybe I'll surprise you by keeping my word, wouldn't that be lovely?"

David studied Hook's face briefly before stepping back. Saving Henry, finding Neal – all of this was Emma-related and Hook was crawling his way into both of these missions. He didn't like it. But he didn't have time to like it as something caused the ship to jerk violently to the side, knocking both of them at the wall and onto the floor.

"If you don't mind," Hook begins and he runs out his door and out onto the deck. He spots Emma, her knuckles white gripping onto the wheel and her eyes wide as saucers. "Lass, what is it?"

David pushes past Hook and runs to his daughter's side. He tries to ease her fingers off the wheel. But before Emma can answer, a massive tentacle knocks the right side of the ship, sending the three of them to the ground. A giant squid arm suddenly wraps around the front end of the ship just as Regina, Gold, and Mary Margaret appear from below deck. The angular head peaks over bow. Everything about the squid is dark grays and blacks, just slimy and massive.

"Oh my -" Mary Margaret gasps and then looks around. Water spills and splashes onto the deck. "David?"

"I'm okay!" David shouts back, helping a very sleepy Emma regain her footing. Hook wriggles on the deck.

Mary Margaret gives a reaffirming nod and slides her bow off her shoulder as she reaches behind her for an arrow. Regina is the first to square her shoulders back as she conjures wooden spikes hovering in midair before throwing them at the angry squid. The ship dips forward a little and there's a piercing, non-human scream. Gold is next, waving his hand at the base of his cane and it turns into a sword. He dives forward to strike the beast, but is knocked back clear across the deck when another spongy, suction-cupped arm wrapped around the bow.

Mary Margaret's arrows bounce off the beast like a plastic, blunt toy.

David struggles with Emma. "Sweetie, you're going to have to be awake for a bit longer," and he hoists her on her feet.

Without thought, he rushes to his wife's side and grabs a sword they found in one of Hook's cabins. He regretted leaving Storybrooke without packing, but didn't have time to linger on missing his own sword. He swung at the beast and some black ink squirted from the cut onto David. He looks down at his white shirt in horror.

Hook and (surprisingly) Emma rush behind him, Emma with Gold's cane/sword. She chops into the same cut that David started, managing to slice all the way through. It was tough, but it surprised Emma how much easier the arm was to chop off, like fries calamari. It suddenly felt like hundreds of pounds lifted off the ship, which had tipped something like a forty-five degree angle. Hook sliced at the monster with both his hook and his sword, cutting off another leg after a great struggle. Black ink leaked all over the front of his ship.

Regina joined them, closer to animal, trying not to slip on the mixture of water and ink. She swung her arm diagonally, creating a slivered cut from nothing into it's head. The ship rocked as the monster wailed again. She chopped at it's head a second time on the other side. Emma slipped on the deck with a yelp and for a second she thought about just staying there and slipping into a sleep. She didn't even care where she was; she was over being a captain or a savior.

Hook grabbed Emma's wrist with his hook. "Love, pull it together."

She slipped her hand back a little and grabbed onto his hook, letting him help her up, and she watched as another squid arm fell towards the deck.

"HOOK!" she shouted.

Mary Margaret shot arrows at it, confusing it a little, and Hook spun around and chopped the arm off. It fell with a giant splash, narrowly grazing the edge of the ship.

Gold hobbled up next Regina and held his palm out to the beast. Emma watched, expecting some sort of E.T., moment of understanding thing to happen, but instead he clenched his hand. The squid retracted the rest of its arms, releasing possibly the worst sound imaginable. Everyone except Gold covered their ears. When he released his clench, he quickly turned away and soon they knew why. The squid exploded. Black ink showered onto the deck and the surrounding ocean for what seemed like an entire minute.

And then it was calm.

"What...was THAT?" Regina asked. Her face was full of disgust. She couldn't even touch what covered her outfit.

"I told you about the welcome committee, didn't I?" Hook said.

"That was some welcome," Mary Margaret said, breathless. She got up and started hunting for any arrows that weren't damaged.

"That was nothing," Hook said, trying to wipe off his precious coat with his one hand. "We've still got a few more hours until morning, but I assure once you're past that, the rest is just a lure into a false sense of safety."

"Well, clearly it seems false if you don't have me," Gold said, turning his sword back into a cane. And while he's performing magic, he decided he might as well clean himself of any black ink. With a wave, his suit is clean and pressed. "I am the most powerful Dark One, after all. You are all welcome."

There's anger or annoyance in his voice, like he doesn't trust anyone has thanks to begin with. Regina follows suit, cleaning herself of black ink with the wave of her hand.

"This is unbelievable," she replies, looking at Hook as though he invited the squid to attack his ship. Then she and Gold look at Emma expectantly. "Emma?"

Suddenly all eyes are on Emma and she feels the pressure. Magic is emotion, but the only emotions she was currently feeling was minor disgust and a longing for a nap. She felt like it was only just a few hours ago – although it was maybe more – that she helped Regina with the fail safe. That was some intense magic, something she would rather use sparingly.

"Magic is the easy way out of menial things like changing your clothes," Emma replied. She was never about the easier path. Although she knew she was never given the easier path.

"Suit yourself, dearie," Gold said. He barely glanced at Hook as he retreated back below deck again. Everyone could sense, despite their agreement not to kill each other on this trip, that Gold wanted to be in Hook's presence as little as possible.

Regina was less accepting. She walked right up to Emma's face, studying it.

"Are you...embarrassed, Emma?" she asked, trying to hide a smile. For half a second she looked from Hook to Emma. "Or are you trying to hide it?"

"I'm not anything, Regina, except tired and anxious to save Henry."

"There's no way you can save my son if you're not willing to flex your muscles."

"Then I guess that's the difference between you and me," Emma replied, holding her ground, "I actually use my muscles."

Regina chuckled. Despite having the same goal to save their son, apparently Regina was still into being frenemies. Emma could understand everyone wanting her to use her magic. She's sure a wizard would beat a knight in a battle any day, unless they were in a place without magic. But Emma also sensed that Regina was happy to still be the most powerful witch in all the lands. And she could keep that title. Emma didn't care. She just wanted her family to be safe and happy.

"I guess we'll just see whose tactics work better," Regina replies and she spins on the ball of her foot. "Have fun cleaning up squid ink."

With that, Regina followed Gold back below deck.

Emma stood with her arms out from her sides. "I wish I actually packed new clothes.."

"Emma, you don't have to be ashamed of who you are," Mary Margaret said with a nod. She lightly tugged her daughters hand. Black ink squished and oozed a little between their fingers. "You should embrace and take advantage of it."

"Take advantage of what?" Hook asked. He still didn't know that bit of Emma.

"It's nothing," she quickly replied.

"Well, magic is for pansies," Hook stated with a shrug. Clearly he didn't know what Emma was beginning to be capable of. "There's nothing more invigorating than a good sword, am I right, Prince? I may have some spare clothes, if you wish to borrow them."

"Uh, Mary Margaret packed me a spare," David replied. Hook's generosity threw him off a little.

"Emma?" Hook looked Emma up and down, determining if he had something that might fit her.

Mary Margaret suddenly becomes alert, staring warnings into her daughter. "You should have packed like I warned."

"Thanks, mom," Emma groaned. She felt like a teenager, except the way a teenager usually is. The part of being a teenager she missed not having real parents around. "I was kind of busy saving Storybrooke. Again."

"Why don't you see if what I brought will fit you, too? And then you can take a nice, long nap and I'll wake you when we get there."

"What will you change into?"

Mary Margaret shakes her head, knowing Emma has a point but trying to show it's no big deal. Squid ink is the new fashion. "Nothing, but...I'll be fine."

"Yeah, right," Emma replies. She knew her mother was Snow White and had her own struggles in life. She read in Henry's book that she almost stole eggs from Little Red Riding Hood. But she also knew her mother was Mary Margaret, who taught little kids and always looked presentable, and also was the only one who came aboard Hook's ship prepared with a backpack. "Hook, I'll take you up on those clothes. Before I pass out."

"You know, they say it's better to sleep nake-"

"Hook," David warns sternly.

"Apologies, mate." Hook waves Charming off. He kicks at the water and ink that still lingers on the deck of his ship, but hearing the water lap at the sides again brings him great ease. The Jolly Roger was meant for the seas, not flying through the stars. "Quickly, princess, so you can sleep fully clothed as the great gods have intended. There is much that awaits when the night ends."

Emma was exhausted, but still alert enough to feel cautious going into Hook's cabin. It wasn't as big as she thought it would be, but still larger than the cabins down below deck. It wasn't about going into a guy's room that made her nervous, although it was Hook. She couldn't shake what it was though. She looked around: a small table and chair, a bed off to the side, a wide closet, bottles of room strewn about in a corner. Typical pirate captain's room. Very wooden and manly. She half expected a talking parrot to fly out from nowhere.

"You alright, love?" Hook said, putting a hand on her arm and starling her.

"Yeah," she said, blinking, "yeah. Just admiring the décor."

Hook laughed and turned back to his wardrobe, shoving around some garments.

"It seems a bit small for a captain," she added.

"Ah, well, I've got another closet towards the back. I have to store all my loot somewhere," he replied. He turned back with some leather slacks, holding them up and aligning them with Emma. He tosses them at her and she winces at the touch of them. They're probably small enough and a bit worn. They smell like rum and salt. "Some may think leather and the water don't mix, but you'll see. Speaking of not mixing, what's with Gold and Regina anyway? Are they trying to get you to do something?"

"Something like that." She catches a black, poofy shirt Hook throws at her. His entire wardrobe is practically black, except maybe a red vest hidden on one end.

"Well, don't worry about them. Soon your lad will be right back with the family again and we can find a way to scurry on out of here."

Emma reacts with a face. "I thought Neverland was your home. Sounds like you want this to be a quick in and out."

"I want many a thing to be a quick in and out," he replies and Emma rolls her eyes. "We have to save Neal, too, right?"

His voice was shaky at the mention of Neal. Emma paused from unbuttoning her coat to look at Hook, a smile on his face. He was hiding something. There was no emotion in her. Nothing to put a kink in her inner lie detector. Maybe he didn't really give a damn about finding Neal. Was he leading them into a trap? No, Emma didn't think he was changing back to Team Villain that quickly. Was there something in Neverland that he didn't want them to find? Emma stripped off her coat, looking back down at her inky hands again. Black was starting to crust into the wrinkles of her hands. Into her fingerprints.

"Yeah," she replied, breathless.

She didn't want him to look at her while she was thinking, processing her super power. Whatever it was, he was hiding something. For a second, she actually wanted to try her hand at that self-cleaning magic and run out of there. But that was something she was hiding from him. She didn't know why. He was the only one that didn't know she helped Regina and her fail safe with magic. That she could be the next Regina or Gold and yet she didn't want to be, despite the rush it gave her. She didn't know why she'd think he'd care whether she could do magic or not.

"Are you going to stand there and watch?" Emma asked, forcing a smile. "I'd have to charge ya."

"Ah, a gentleman doesn't pay," Hook replies with a beautiful wide grin, heading towards the door. He was ready to stand at the wheel for the rest of night.

"Hook -"

He pauses, turning back to Emma with a raised brow.

She smiled. Sleepiness was starting to settle in her, hiding her worries. She was sitting on his bed and trying to unzip her boot.

"Thank you."

After what seemed like twenty minutes and Emma still hadn't exited his cabin, Hook left his look-out to check on her. He was enjoying the calm of no one else on deck, his baby finally settled back in the cradle of the Neverland seas and a cool breeze combing through his hair. He almost forgot he left her in there. Admittedly he knew leather was a bit of a bitch to slip on, but he figured Emma could handle it. He swung the door open without knocking to discover she was passed out on his bed, sleeping like a princess but dressed like a pirate.

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**A/N: I'm going to try to update every other day, but don't hold me to that. I'm on a roll though. Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I wasn't sure about continuing, but SDCC and Eddy and Adam at the TCAs put that spark back in me. Yikes, it's been quite a long time. Apologies for the REALLY long delay and thank you for the follows/reviews and also for sticking around.

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**Chapter Three**

Emma woke up to the muffled sounds of yelling and a thumping headache.

"What the..." she said, looking down at her outfit confused. She rolled up the puffy sleeves as she sat up in bed. Hook's bed. As she stood up, the leather pants made an odd sound, felt a little too warm, and then suddenly the events of last night came back to her. "Oh yeah."

She rushed outside, expecting to find her fellow shipmates battling another sea monster or sirens or fairies or whatever the hell else that could be fending off anyone trying to get into Neverland. She grabbed at the dagger she hid in her boot. Instead she's greeted with the familiar sight of verbal fighting.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW?"

"I'm not a clock, love," Hook said coldly, staring down at Regina, whom is all up in Hook's face.

"It's been five hours since the attack," David informed, "you can't possibly tell us you don't know when morning is."

Emma looked up. The Jolly Roger was safely sailing on actual water now, but a sky full of twinkling stars still blankets all around them. A bright green aurora borealis zigzagged across the sky in the far-off distance on her right, like a path that would lead to a shining kingdom. It was still a gorgeous night, she had to give Neverland that, but she looked up at it like it was a failed attempt at a joke.

"Why...?" her voice trailed off, pointing to the sky.

Mary Margaret rushed over to her, rubbing Emma's arms for comfort, while David stood his ground near Hook. Emma could see the momentary flash of disapproval in Emma's pirate clothing. Emma smiled, but she could only imagine what her princess mother wore as a fugitive badass. Probably leather like the pirate.

"We're trying to figure that out." Mary Margaret tried to reply with a reassuring smile and then without missing a beat, she glared back at Hook for an answer.

Hook threw his arms up at his side. "I've no bloody clue. I know the ins and outs of this land, but it's not as though I had to enter it many times. I came once and stayed until I could leave. It wasn't as lengthy an entrance on my first go. Perhaps it's a newly added security."

"Perhaps what this ship needs is a new captain," Mr. Gold replied, seething. "I cannot believe we've fallen into such incompetent hands. Tell me, pirate, how did you get to be a captain of your own ship in the first place? Do you even know which way is north?"

"Indeed I do, crocodile. Do you wish me to show you with my hook?"

David broke the group apart. "Okay, enough. Either Hook got us lost in some land of perpetual night or it's in fact a security measure that we need to figure it out."

"Right," Mary Margaret chimed in, joining her husband and dragging Emma closer, "the sooner we stop bickering, the closer we'll get to figuring out a solution.

"And then we can save my son," Regina added, brushing back her hair and trying to compose herself again.

Regina glared back at Hook, watching him circle away from herself and Gold, but still standing away from the Charmings. He was in the middle, by himself. She normally had a good grasp on darkened souls, their motivations, if they're telling the truth. Hook's utter stupidity about it still being night had her wondering if he was really up to something...and whether it benefitted the good, the bad, or just himself.

"And then we can search for Neal," Emma added. The name rolled uneasily off her tongue and the expected glare from everyone hits her immediately. She guessed not everyone else was let in on those extra plans.

She wanted to find him; she did. Even if they all got sick of each other on this ship or people died or someone didn't want to come along, she had to cling onto the hope that Hook gave her. It was weird on many counts; wanting to find Neal, for once. She didn't know what made her shout a confession of love as he slipped away – maybe because she'd seen him with Henry and how good they were together. But that somehow didn't make up for the decade of pain and betrayal she felt. When Henry found her and she accepted her parents were _her parents_, she was just starting to find peace. She could have done without the finding Neal part. And then here she was now, looking forward to finding him. Maybe it was the Savior in her. Or maybe it really was love. What the hell.

And then Hook giving her hope – that was still unsettling in her. Unsettling and weird because she still didn't 100% trust him. Also, it was a little endearing. What the hell.

"Oh, you didn't hear about that?" Emma replied off their looks, blinking.

"Bae?" Gold asked, breathless, looking to each of their faces as though they've been hiding this massive secret plan from him. "He's still alive?"

"I don't know. Hook just thought-"

"Oh, Hook just thought. What does a PIRATE know about my son?"

"A bit, actually," Hook replied quickly.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING." Gold banged his cane on the deck. The wood cracked and splintered slightly from the force (and maybe magic). "If my son was alive, I would know it."

"Maybe you should do a search for him first, Gold," Regina said sternly. "Unless...you already know."

"OF COURSE I already know! He's my boy!"

"Where is he?" Emma asked.

"He's in the Enchanted Forest."

There's was an audible gasp from everyone.

"How do you know?" Emma asked coldly. She stepped closer to Gold, itching to grab him by his collar. His face changed from a twisted, tear-filled whimper into something darker and more confident.

"I know because I made a deal with Tamara to send him there."

Emma doesn't get the chance to grab him because David was quick to get there first, brushing past her and pushing Gold against a wall of the ship. Something sinks in Emma as she stares, stunned, at Gold.

"You MADE a DEAL? With TAMARA?"

"Regina told me that you were growing magical portal beans behind our backs," Gold replied, seething against David's arm pressed to his collarbone. "I wanted to get Bae back to the Enchanted Forest, back to his proper home. And I gave Belle directions, with a bean hidden in that tiny scroll. We would be a family. I could tell the day I met my son's fiancé that she had her own plans, but we made a deal. I didn't expect her to SHOOT him! And I didn't expect her to take Henry."

"Well now we have NO beans," David replied, "because Regina destroyed our crop! I don't know how any of you expect to get home, back to the Enchanted Kingdom, to find Neal. You'd have to have a pretty good plan. Maybe you smuggled the hatter on the ship..."

Mr. Gold shoved David away. "It doesn't matter anymore. This is still a land with magic and don't forget who is the Dark One. Therefor I am the new captain of this ship, of this entire operation - "

"Over my dead body -" Hook raised his hook towards Gold.

Gold waved his hand as though smearing fog away on a glass. Hook looked down at his stump arm and his hook disappeared. It reappeared in the front pocket of Gold's vest.

"The one with the most power is the most in charge, dearie," Gold replied. "Maybe all of this, this incessant starlight, is all psychological. Maybe it needs some magic. Maybe it needs the correct person in charge and not some leather-clad, second-rate pirate leading us forward."

"I've lived here for hundreds of years. I know how horrible it is. You won't last a day as captain."

"Ah, but it's not the day. And you can barely steer us through the front door," Gold replied venomously. "I suggest you all rest up, dearies. Under my commandeering, we will be there shortly."

Hook started towards Gold again, but Emma stops him short. He paused.

"It's not worth it," she whispered.

Gold headed to the helm, whispering to Regina as he grabs the wheel with confidence. David and Mary Margaret went under deck despite spending so much time down there already. There's only so much time someone can actually sleep. Emma knew they would probably stay up in their cabin and make up their own plans for when they get to Neverland, IF they ever got to Neverland. Whenever she looked at her parents alone, they were always softly talking to each other, so no one else could listen. It's like they had their own language. It's like no one else existed when they were huddled together.

This rescue mission was starting to become incredibly frustrating. She was never one to "enjoy the journey," as they say. "_It's the destination,'_ my ass," she thought. She just wanted to BE THERE. Saving Henry. Truthfully, she didn't care that Gold was captain. It didn't matter who was as long as they got there. She didn't understand why Gold wanted to find Henry first instead of looking for his son, who could be BLEEDING TO DEATH. It made her believe Neal wasn't actually gone though. She smiled a little.

"You joining me?" Hook asked.

Emma looked at him, confused. He reaches towards his cabin door, the captain's chambers.

"You just lost your rank as captain, Hook. I think Gold will fight you on this one, too."

He shook his head and grabbed Emma's arm. It was hard for him not to look down and stare at her in his clothes. It was hard for her not to notice how thin the shirt's fabric actually was, unless Hook just had one incredibly warm hand.

"Well, we'll get to that fight when we come to it, love. I need a drink after this de-ranking."

"I'm not having drinks with you," she replied, yet she found herself walking into his cabin anyways. And hell, she wanted a drink. At least several. She caught herself and laughed as Hook closed the door behind them. "It's funny, I said the same thing to Neal when I met him."

"Odd name, Neal," Hook replied. He pulled out a bottle from the top drawer of a nearby cabinet and sloshed it around before twisting open the cap. "I wonder how he chose it."

"Yeah, that's a good question," Emma replied thoughtfully, easing herself down on Hook's bed. It was the only place to sit. She watched Hook take out a bottle of rum from a cupboard, two glasses, and then filling them all with one hand. "So, speaking of names, you're out of a hook and no longer a captain."

"I appreciate you rubbing it in." He smirked and handed her a glass. "I wasn't kidding about having other attachments."

Emma looked down at her glass of rum, the scent prickling her nose, and then she cocked her head. "I'm sure Captain Fake Hand doesn't strike terror in the minds of young boys, though, does it?"

"I sound like a terror in whatever book you've read about me, but no, it doesn't have quite the same ring to it."

He shifted around with an unusual discomfort, debating in his mind to stay true as a gentleman or be stay the pirate with never a lack of innuendos. To sit next to her on the bed, or not? It didn't matter to him at all - it was his damn bed, after all - but he already got Emma in to drink with him and he didn't want to push his luck. Or make her so uncomfortable that she leaves. It was then that he remembered he stored a stool in his closet he never thought he'd need in. He set his glass of rum down to fetch it.

"So what's your real name again?"

"Killian Jones." He placed the stool across from her and grabbed his glass. "I suppose Swan isn't your real last name then?"

"I guess it should be Charming or Nolan or White or whatever. I legally changed it when I was sixteen. I thought it sounded nice. And I liked The Ugly Duckling, so I thought it had meaning."

Hook raised a brow. She figured he's never read that book or understood the story. Or if he's ever felt like an outcast or found out he's something more wonderful than he originally thought. Heck, in his natural habit and actually being welcoming instead of a self-centered asshole, she was starting to think he was something different than what she originally thought of him. Or maybe it was the smell of the rum getting to her head.

Emma laughed. "I don't know why I'm saying all this. I haven't even started drinking yet."

"Well, if you need some encouraging, drink up, me heartie," Hook said with a dangerously charming grin. He held up his glass. "Cheers, Ms. Swan."

Emma smiled. "Cheers, Mr. Jones."

Their glasses clinked.


End file.
